Hardness testers, for example, Brinell hardness testers, are used to measure the hardness of materials. Hardness is the property of a material that enables it to resist plastic deformation, usually be penetration. Standard Brinell hardness testers are available commercially, however, are often limited in application to test or work pieces of a particular size. For example, a standard Brinell hardness tester may be limited to test or work pieces not exceeding 20 inches. If a test or work piece exceeding the size limitation it tested, accuracy of the Brinell hardness may be negatively affected, resulting in incorrect readings. An apparatus and method is desired that allows accurate measurement of Brinell hardness for large test or work pieces.